Violin



March 12, 1929.

B. R. NYHAGEN VIOLIN Filed July 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY March 12, 1929. a. R. NYHAGEN VIOLIN Filed July 24, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N Qm I N VEN TOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES BARNEY 1B,. NYHAGEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VIOLIN.

Application filed July 24, 1924. Serial No. 727,921.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a violin designed to be employed for playing musical compositions, and which may be made of forms adapted to permit the use of four or eight strings when desired as well as being of a form whereby slight inaccuracies Which may occur in the fingering of the strings will not alter the normal movements of the strings into contact with the frets. in order to overcome liability of playing false notes. The invention contemplates the provision on the body of a violin of a neck having in the bottom of its peg box one of a number of openings so located that the holes of the string pegs will register therewith for permitting the ends of the strings when inserted through the holes of the pegs to pass through the openings in the bottom of the peg box.

Other objects of the invention are to provide on the neck a finger board having spaced frets of substantially the shapes of ratchet teeth disposed with upstanding edges facing the peg box; to provide one or a number of string pegs each having a projecting pin for removably holding one end of one of the strings to the peg; to provide tuning means for removably attaching one of a number of the strings to the tail piece of the violin; and to provide a violin adapted to be made in appropriate sizes and shapes.

With these and other objects in view the invention will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, partly broken away, showing atop plan of one form of my improved violin with parts of the finger board and parts of the playing strings removed.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View showing a side elevation of part of the body neck and scroll of the violin illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view, partly broken away, showing one of the pegs and a form of playing string which may be used on the instrument.

Fig. 4 is a plan of another form of peg.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and which shows the manner of applying a string to the Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary View, partly broken away, showing a side elevation of a form of tuning device which may be used on the tail piece of the instrument.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view of another form of tuning device which may be used on the tail piece of the instrument.

Fig. 9 is a top plan of the free end part of another form of peg box which may be used in the violin.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the portion of the scroll shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 1111 of Fig. 9, and which shows a plglying string applied to the peg illustrated, an

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view showing an end elevation of the tuning device illustrated in Fig. 7.

The violin has a body 10 which may be of the usual or any preferred form and size, and on the top of the rear end of the body is mounted the customary tail piece 11. This tail piece may be of the well known form having spaced holes 12 in which are removably held one of the ends of a number of the strings 13 of the instrument.

A neck having a scroll 14 extends from the forward end of the body 10, and the peg box 15 is located at the end of the neck. The neck shown in Figs. 1. 2, 5 of the drawings is of a form having eight playing strings, and in the side walls 17, 17 of the peg box 15 are eight spaced pairs of registered holes 18, 18". In each pair of those registered holes is a rotatably adjustable peg 19 on which the second end of each of the strings 13 is attached and wrapped. The string pegs 19 may be of the ordinary forms having through the stem or shank of each a hole 20 for receiving the second end of one of the strings, or at least one of the pegs. as 21 Fig. 3, may be provided instead of the hole with a pin, as 22, which protrudes from the central part of a notch 23 formed in part of the stem of the peg, and on this pin is held the second end of the respective playing string 13 prior to wrapping the string on the peg. In the bottom of the peg box 15 of the neck 14 are spaced holes or orifices 25 arranged so that each hole is in register with the hole 20 of each of the apertured pegs 19. The orifices 25 1n the bottom of the peg box serve to facilitate the process of attaching the strings on the pegs 19 by enabling the end portions of the strings following their passage through the holes 20 of the pens to be moved. through the orilices and from the orilices 2.3 of the pest box into the peg box with the partial rot: in o the pegs. The end i Zlltillfi of th; ings may then be eas ly ed by the player of the instrument for being \apptd en the p" In Figs. 9, 19. ii s iilr trxted a i rm of neck and scroll, as 26. at )ted to carry four playing strings. and th' f l of scroll has a box 28 with side v... 2t) havi tour spaced pairs of lQglFttl'Qt; holes 30. 30 in each pair of which is one of the rotatably adjustable pegs. In the bottom of the peg box is an opening 31 of a size extent ing under all of the four pegs. \lhen the strings are passed through the hoh in the pegs of the box 28 the ends of the strin -1 may then be gripped by movi: the ngers in the open 31 for being readil y wrapped on the p \Vhen the violin is provided with eight of the strings 13 they are preferably employed in spaced pairs with each pair in closely spaced parallel re ation, as shown in Fig. 1, and when the instrument is provided with four of the playing strings, one or more of the strings may be formed with loops 32, 32* Fig. 3, on both of its ends to permit one of the loops to be arranged upon the pin 22 of the form of the peg 21. In other instances I may provide a short. loop, as 32 Fig. 4, which is held, as shown, in the hole 20 of one or more of the pe s 19.

On top of the scroll 14 is a finger board 33 of a length so that it extends from the peg box of the neck to a distance over the top of the body 10 of the instrument, and on the upper face of the finger board are provided the frets 34. The frets 34 are spaced apart at variable distances as is usual with musical instruments of this class. These frets are preferably in the form of ratchet teeth with their upstanding faces the peg box, as 35, in opposed relation to the peg box of the neck. The face edges 36 and the inclined faces 37 of the frets 34 are arched or convexly curved transversely of the finger board, and as the strings are pressed upon by the fingers of the player of the violin moving on the inclined faces 37 o5 the frets the slight inaccuracies which may occur in the fingering will not alter the normal movements of the strings into contact with the free edges 36 of the strings.

In conjunction wi h the violin I may employ on one or a number of its playing strings various forms of the metal tuning devices. as 38 and 39. The form of the tuning device 38, Figs. 1. T, 12. has a substantially rectangular flat body part 40, and on one end of this bod part is a protruding arm 41 having on its free end a short depending nib, as 42, in the underside of which may be one or two closely spaced grooves 43. On the other end of the body part 40 is a depending head or block, as 44, and protruding downwardly from the part of the underside of this block opposed to the grooved nib 42 are two spaced legs 45, 46 both having the parts of their lower 'l ree ends opposite to the arm 41 cut out to provide substantially L-shaped notches 47 therein. A passage, as 46*, is thereby provided under the depending block 44 and between the legs 45, 46 for passage of one or a pair of the strings of the violin. In the body part 40 of the device 38 may be two spaced openings 47 48, one adj aoent the block 44 and the other adjacent the arm 41 of the device. In the openings 47, 48 may be slidable blocks, as 49, 50, which are adjustable upwardly and downwardly. On the lower end of the block 49 is a hook member 51 for removably receiving" one of the strings of the violin. and on the lower end of the block 50 is another hook member 52 for also removably receiving; one of the strings. On the upper end of the block 49 is a threaded stem 53 of a length so that its free end part protruded through the opening 47 above the body part 40. and screwed on the projecting part of this stem in movable contact. with the body part is a nut 54 adapted to be rotated for adjusting the stem 53, block 49 and hook member 51 upwardly and downwardly in the body part 40. On the upper end of the block 50 is a threaded stem 55 of a length so that its free end part pr .iles throuzth the opening); 43 above the body part 40, and screwed on the projecting part of this stem in movable contactwith the body part is a nut 56 adapted to be rotated for adjusting the stem 55, block 50 and hook member 52. The device 38 may be employed on the pair of playing strings A of the violin, and when applied to these strings the notched parts of the legs 45, 46 of the block 44 of the body part of the device is disposed on the forward end of the tail piece 11 with the pair of the strings A passing through the passage 46. The arm 41 of the device is arranged so that the strings are disposed in the grooves 43 of the nib 42 of the arm and so that the strings are disposed in the books 51, 52 of the device. By then rotatably adjusting the nuts 54, 56 accordingly on the threaded stems 53, 55 the blocks 49, 50 with the. hooks 51, 52 will then be adjusted upwardly or downwardly for tightening or loosening the strings when being tuned.

The form of the tuning device 39, Figs. 1 and 8, has bar 57. and a lever, as 58, preferably of snhf-wtantially an L-shape. The elbow p5 rt of the lever 58 is pivoted, at 59, to one (l of the bar 57 so that one of the arms, as 60, i the lever is disposed under the bar 57 for h ingr adjustably moved upwardly and downwardly toward and from the bar. The other arm. as 61. of the lever 58 is disposed upwardly so that with the upward and downward adjustment of the arm 60 the arm 61 will be adjustably moved back and forth toward and from the central part of the bar 57, and on the free end of the arm 61 of the lever 58 is a head 62 having an annular groove 63. In the opposite end of the bar 57 is a threaded hole in which is screwed the lower threaded end of a screw bolt, as 64, and in the central part of the bar 57 is another threaded hole 65 arranged so that it is above the free end part of the arm 60 of the L-shaped lever 58. In the hole 65 is screwed the lower end of an adjusting bolt. as 66, of a length so that it extends some distance above the bar 57. In practice I preferably employ two of the devices 39, one for connecting each of the E strings of the violin to the tail piece 11. Each of the devices is mounted on the tail piece 11 by providing spaced holes as 67, 68, in the tail piece. The bar 57 of the device 39 is arranged on the underside of the tail piece with the arm 62 in spaced relation to the forward end of the tail piece and so that the screw bolt 64 may be passed through and tightened in the hole 67 of the tail piece for removably securing the bar 57 to the tail piece, the bar 57 being of a length so that its other end extends a suitable distance beyond the tail piece. In the hole 68 of the tail piece 11 may be fixed an interiorly threaded sleeve 69 in which the adjusting bolt 66 is screwed, and on the end of each of the A strings one of the loops 32 is provided. Both of the devices 39 are mounted on the tail piece in closely spaced proximity, and the loops 32 are arranged in the grooves 63 of the heads 62 of the lever 58 of the devices. lVhen it is desired to tune each of the A strings in conjunction with the usual manipulation of the pegs of these strings the bolt 66 of each of the devices 39 is rotatably adjusted upwardly and downwardly in the threaded sleeve 69 of the hole 68 of the tail piece. The arm 60 of the lever 58 of each of the devices will then be adjusted toward and from the bar 57, and the arm 61 of the lever 58 will be adjustably moved toward and from the tail piece for suitable stretching or easing the strain of the strings.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of my invention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore, I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A violin having in combination, a body with a tail piece, tuning means for removably attaching a number of strings to the tail piece, a neck protruding from the body, said neck having a peg box with registering side openings therein, a series of string pegs for said openings, each of said pegs having an opening therein for removably holding one end of a string, and a finger board on the neck having spaced frets arched transversely and being substantially the shape of ratchet teeth disposed with their upstanding faces facing the peg box of the neck.

2. In a violin, the combination of a body with a tail piece, tuning means for removably attaching a number of strings to the tail piece, a neck protruding from the body and having a series of pegs for attaching strings thereto, each of said pegs having an opening for removably receiving one end of a string, and a finger board having spaced frets being substantially the shape of ratchet teeth with their upstanding faces facing the peg box of the neck, said frets being arched transversely.

This specification signed this 23d day of July, A. D. 1924.

BARNEY R. NYHAGEN. 

